New moviegoing app makes buying tickets and popcorn easier

For many people, going to the movies is inherently a social activity. Now, a new app is aiming to make the social aspect of moviegoing a little easier.

Atom Tickets, a new theatrical mobile ticketing platform and app, is now available to moviegoers in a variety of cities around the country, including Houston and Dallas. While not available for all theater chains, it will initially allow you to buy tickets for movies at Studio Movie Grill, AMC Theatres, and Regal/Edwards Cinemas.

Much like Fandango, Atom Tickets helps you check show times and order tickets quickly. What sets it apart is the ability to easily connect with friends. You can invite friends to join you at a movie via Facebook or your contact lists, tagging them so they know when and where the movie is. Even better, you can pre-pay for concession items, allowing you to skip the line at the theater.

Ticket and concession purchases will appear on your phone as QR codes, so you can easily scan the codes at the theater, get your tickets and food, and go.

To celebrate the local launch of the app, moviegoers will get their first movie ticket purchased through the Atom Tickets app for free. Atom Tickets, which previously launched in Los Angeles/Southern California, Atlanta, and Nashville, as well as select theaters across the U.S. and Canada, will be live nationwide by the end of summer 2016.

The app is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. It also provides reviews, trailers, and synopses of movies to help make moviegoing decisions easier.